Are you familiar with the‭ “‬Slow Food Movement‭” ‬and the related current trend towards a healthier diet‭? ‬You might want to check out‭ ‬http://www.slowfood.com to get more information on this subject.‭ ‬They have a goal to‭ ‬﻿counteract the deleterious affects of fast food and fast life on us and our planet.‭ ‬In keeping with the‭ “‬Slow Food Movement” and its wonderful eco-gastronomic intent,‭ ‬I have been investigating how to improve my families health by raising healthier poultry to enhance the quality and nutrition of our diet.‭

In addition to providing live greens for my flock including dandelion,‭ ‬comfrey,‭ ‬plantain,‭ ‬grass,‭ ‬and lambs quarter,‭ ‬I am sprouting for them a combination of whole wheat,‭ ‬whole oats and whole barley in buckets.‭ ‬Grain sprouts are powerful live foods with high nutrition.‭ ‬The chickens and turkeys love it‭! ‬These birds are very happy and content,‭ ‬which I attribute in large part to their diet.‭ ‬Only about‭ ‬1/4‭ ‬of their diet is processed chicken feed.

I use whole wheat,‭ ‬whole oats,‭ ‬and whole barley because these seeds currently are not genetically modified.‭ ‬There are many who are concerned about the large amount of gluten present in wheat,‭ ‬but sprouting eliminates most of the gluten.‭ ‬I purchase the whole wheat and whole oats from the CO-OP in Sandpoint and whole barley from General Feed And Grain in Bonners Ferry.

The Sprouting Process

Materials and Preparation:

I use two‭ ‬5‭ ‬gallon buckets with lids and handles such that one will fit inside of the other.‭ ‬I was able to get nice buckets for a small price at the Yokes bakery‭ ‬-‭ ‬nice folks there.‭ ‬I will call the two buckets‭ ‬-‭ ‬bucket A and bucket B. Procure a‏ ‎2‏“ ‎to‭ ‬3‭“ ‬high cleanable spacer such as a Glad food storage container.‭ ‬The buckets will be used one inside the other with the spacer in between.‭ ‬The spacer is utilized merely to keep the buckets from sticking together.‭ ‬I have had buckets that fit so tightly together that I could not pull them apart.‭ ‬It is important to use a spacer that is cleanable in order to keep the process free of molds and other potentially harmful growths. You will also need‏ ‎3%‏ ‎hydrogen peroxide and fresh sprouting seed. Drill small drain holes into the bottom of bucket A.‏ ‎I use a‭ ‬3/32‭“ ‬drill bit,‭ ‬but any size smaller than the size of the sprouting seed will do.‭ ‬I don’t want the seeds to fall through the holes when we add water for sprouting.‭ ‬I drill about‭ ‬30‭ ‬holes for fast draining.

Sprouting:

Place bucket A‏ (‎the one with the holes drilled in the bottom‭) ‬into bucket B with the spacer in between the two buckets.

Then fill the bucket‏ ‎2/3‏ ‎full with water.‭ ‬I don’t want to use hot water or freezing water.‭ ‬Anywhere in between is fine.

Add‏ ‎1/4‏ ‎cup of‭ ‬3%‭ ‬hydrogen peroxide.‭ ‬The peroxide helps to deter the growth of any potentially harmful molds or bacteria that might be present in the buckets or have come with the seeds.

Place a lid on the top of the open bucket‏ (‎bucket A‭) ‬leave the buckets in a room temperature environment‭ (‬60‭ ‬to‭ ‬70‭ ‬degrees will do just fine‭) ‬for‭ ‬12‭ ‬hours.

Drain the water from bucket A by lifting it out of bucket B.‏ ‎Well,‭ ‬now the usefulness of holes in the inner bucket should be clear.‭ ‬Rinse the seeds and drain again.

Place bucket A with the seeds back into bucket B making sure that your spacer is in between the buckets.‏ ‎Rinse and drain the seeds every‭ ‬12‭ ‬hours for two to three days.‭ ‬If the seed you use is fresh and viable,‭ ‬you will have wonderful sprouted grain to feed to your flock.‭ ‬I harvest the seeds when the sprouts are at least the length of the seeds.‭ ‬I may sprout other seeds that take longer to develop.

Be sure to clean the buckets and the spacer between each use.

My feed bills are reduced about‭ ‬50%‭ ‬because of the sprouting and it only‭ takes me about‭ ‬5‭ ‬to‭ ‬7‭ ‬minutes per day to do the deed.‭ ‬Happy sprouting.